1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the field of hair styling devices, particularly to straightening or curling irons of both personal and professional varieties.
2. Description of the Related Art
Variations of electric straightening and curling irons have been on the market for years. When used at home, the end user has typically been forced to put the iron down and in a second and separate step, pick up a mirror to view the results. This is time consuming, and because the iron is still hot, the act of putting it down may burn other objects such as clothing or present a fire hazard.
There are numerous styling irons shown in the prior art. Most of these reflect variations in the styling surfaces, such as interlocking plates or nonlinear surfaces to allow for styling flexibility. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,753 to Lo discloses a styling iron having various interchangeable styling surfaces such as flat, triangular, curved or wave surface for styling hairs into various shapes.
Other modifications in the field of styling irons have related to combining various methods of heating hair to obtain different effects. U.S. Reissue Pat. No. RE38,713 to Habibi discloses a hair styling apparatus that combines both dry heat through the use of heating plates with “wet” heat via the application of steam to hair. U.S. Pat. No. 6,895,975 to Hafeman combines a straightening iron with a device for crimping hair.
Still further adaptations have related to attempts to make styling irons more ergonomically comfortable. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,178,532 to Kayser discloses a flat iron for styling hair comprising head portions with heatable inner surfaces that may be pivotally positioned and locked relative to the handle portions for increased user comfort and control.
In spite of all of these advancements, it is still necessary for a user to put down the iron or rely on additional means in order to determine the extent and progress of styling. It would be desirable to create a novel styling iron that overcomes one or more shortcomings in the prior art.